


Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Furtive Festivity: A Review

by astronbookfilms (galaxyture)



Category: Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-13
Updated: 2019-08-13
Packaged: 2020-08-20 20:02:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20233579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/galaxyture/pseuds/astronbookfilms
Summary: This is a SPOILER review of the short film "Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Furtive Festivity" that has been made available by the creators to watch for free on YouTube.





	Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Furtive Festivity: A Review

"Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Furtive Festivity" is a sweet Holmes/Watson romcom available for free on YouTube. Watson tries to plan a surprise party for Holmes without Holmes figuring it out.

The film primarily draws from the stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle although there are some nods the adaptations such as Moriarty's expanded role and place in Holmes' mind. 

The setting is Victorian England and the actors are the ages that Holmes and Watson would have been for much of the canon. The production values are excellent with some nice touches such as a painting of Toby. Based on the initial scenes I found the modern touches in dialogue and situations jarring during my first viewing, but they fit well within the romcom genre. 

The acting is fantastic and the actors playing Holmes and Watson have the chemistry of two men who not only love each other and have sex with each other, but who have been together so long that they know each other far too well. This was particularly impressive considering the film is short and the actors- assuming they didn't know each other beforehand- would not have had much time to get acquainted.

We immediately see that comfort in Watson's reaction to Holmes allowing Toby in the bed. I could easily see canon Holmes for all his value of logic and mistrust of emotions allowing a dog in bed with him just as he allows himself to enjoy music and playing his beloved violin. This Holmes is more emotionally open than canon Holmes, but retained enough of canon Holmes that one could believe that it was him and Watson hid that side of him in the stories due to the laws against homosexual activity.

I was surprised to see Mary appear in a Holmes/Watson lighthearted romcom and loved Watson's line, "I thought you were dead", but on first viewing was disappointed with how she was treated as Mary in canon seemed to be a perfectly nice woman. However, considering how much Watson prioritizes Holmes over Mary in canon there is definitely merit to exaggerating it a bit to show the disparity between the two most important people in his life in the canon stories. The historical inaccuracies and improbabilities can be justified under the romcom genre. 

The one thing I thought broke with the characters too much was Watson encouraging Holmes' drug use. Granted Watson was desperate to keep Holmes too occupied to put together the pieces and solve the case of why Watson was behaving strangely, but it felt too far from canon Watson. Still, it is a minor quibble.

This is an enjoyable film that I have watched three times and will probably watch more times. However, instead of completely satisfying me it made me all the more eager for future adaptations with Holmes/Watson. 

The film is not region locked and can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQaoCdh7q6I.


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